Tightrope act (Patreon)

A few years ago, I had the honor of being in a semi-regular show called Bare. It was a show that paired burlesque with storytelling. Storytellers would tell a story from their own lives, one that made them emotionally bare, and then burlesque performers would do acts inspired by the stories.

It was a hard show to do and a hard show to watch but that is exactly what made it such a good show. No one held back. They laid bare the most emotionally gripping moments of their lives and the burlesque performers made those emotions flesh. It was burlesque completely unlike what you normally expect burlesque to be. It was usually simple and often quiet. There were no rules. You could use music or not. People stripped out of spandex body bags, satin ribbons, ripped up old t-shirts. You couldn't expect the things we often lean on; glitter, humor, sex appeal, flashy costumes. It was some of the work I am most proud of and the work I felt best about doing. It was emotionally difficult work, but it was also the work I most loved doing. It felt the most *right* for me. Like it was what I was meant to do.

It was not an easy show to sell, which is one of the reasons it never happened regularly and is on probably permanent hiatus right now. But audience members always thanked us for the work we'd done when the show was over.

So I'm really excited to bring one of my favorite acts to a butoh festival this weekend. The creator of Butoh called it a "dance into darkness" and, while my work is very different stylistically, darkness is an interest we both share.

If you're in NYC and want to see the show, information is here. https://www.facebook.com/events/676305952542078/